Why is the battle of midway considered a turning point in the second world war?
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One of Japan’s main goals during World War II was to remove the United States as a Pacific power in order to gain territory in east Asia and the southwest Pacific islands. Japan hoped to defeat the US Pacific Fleet and use Midway as a base to attack
Pearl Harbor, securing dominance in the region and then forcing a negotiated peace. Top
Image: The USS Yorktown is hit on the port side by a torpedo launched from a plane off the Japanese aircraft carrier Hiryu during the Battle of Midway on June 4, 1942. (Image: National Archives and Records Administration, 80-G-414423.) One of Japan’s main goals during World War II was to remove the United States as a Pacific power in order to gain territory in east Asia and the southwest Pacific islands. Japan hoped to defeat the US Pacific Fleet and use Midway as a base
to attack Pearl Harbor, securing dominance in the region and then forcing a negotiated peace. Breaking the Code The United States was aware that the Japanese were planning an attack in the Pacific (on a location the Japanese code-named “AF”) because Navy cryptanalysts had begun breaking Japanese communication codes in early 1942. The attack location and time were confirmed when the American base at Midway sent out a false message that it was short of fresh
water. Japan then sent a message that “AF” was short of fresh water, confirming that the location for the attack was the base at Midway. Station Hypo (where the cryptanalysts were based in Hawaii) was able to also give the date (June 4 or 5) and the order of battle of the Imperial Japanese Navy. The Battle Early on the morning of June 4, aircraft from four Japanese aircraft carriers attacked and severely damaged the US base on Midway. Unbeknownst to the
Japanese, the US carrier forces were just to the east of the island and ready for battle. After their initial attacks, the Japanese aircraft headed back to their carriers to rearm and refuel. While the aircraft were returning, the Japanese navy became aware of the presence of US naval forces in the area. Oil tanks on Sand Island spew fire and smoke after being hit by a Japanese attack early on June 4, 1942. The birds visible in the foreground are Laysan Albatross (“Gooney Bird”) chicks. (Image: National Archives and Records Administration, 80-G-17056.) TBD Devastator torpedo-bombers and SBD Dauntless dive-bombers from the USS Enterprise, USS Hornet, and USS Yorktown attacked the Japanese fleet. The Japanese carriers Akagi, Kaga, and Soryu were hit, set ablaze, and abandoned. Hiryu, the only surviving Japanese carrier, responded with two waves of attacks—both times bombing the USS Yorktown, leaving it severely damaged but still afloat. (A Japanese submarine later sank the Yorktown on June 7.) On the afternoon of June 4, a USS Yorktown scout plane located the Hiryu, and the Enterprise sent dive-bombers to attack. That attack left the Hiryu burning and without the ability to launch aircraft before it finally sank. Like this article? Read more in our online classroom.From the Collection to the Classroom: Teaching History with The National WWII Museum Learn More Over the next two days, the US troops at sea and on Midway continued their attacks, forcing the Japanese to abandon the battle and retreat. The Japanese lost approximately 3,057 men, four carriers, one cruiser, and hundreds of aircraft, while the United States lost approximately 362 men, one carrier, one destroyer, and 144 aircraft. This critical US victory stopped the growth of Japan in the Pacific and put the United States in a position to begin shrinking the Japanese empire through a years-long series of island-hopping invasions and several even larger naval battles.
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Was the Battle of Midway the turning point of the war?JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii - The Battle of Midway, referred to as the turning point of the Pacific War of World War II, took place from June 3 to 7, 1942, near the Midway atoll in the Pacific.
Why was the Battle of Midway so significant?Importance of the US Victory at Midway
All four Japanese carriers, Akagi, Hiryu, Kaga, and Soryu, had participated in the attack on Pearl Harbor. Sinking those Japanese carriers represented a resounding defeat over the enemy fleet which had wrought such destruction only six months before.
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